Locomotive soot blower



Aug. 19, 1930. F. B owERs LOGOMO'IIVE SOOT BLOWER Filed Oct. 30. 1922 3 SheetsSheet 1 8 "wanton Iran A Zawexs Aug. 19, 1930.

F. BOWERS 1,773,473

LOCOMOTIVE SOO'I BLOWER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 Filed Oct. 30. 1922 OOOOOOOOO joooooooqo 'lnuenton Z0 wen? Aug. 19, 1930. F. BOWERS LOCOMOTIVE SOOI BLOWER filed Oct. 30. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 1 5 022 A B0 wens Patented Aug-19,1930 v FRANK BOWERS, enemas, MIC IGAN,

ersfor blowingsoot from thegtube' sheet; and tubes of locomotive or.similarboilersal} though the,;invention inuits broader aspects j TICQRPQRATIQNJ PETE?! M HI qceirqjma soo'r fhpplieaubn filed m 30,1922; ;ser'ia1no,597,991:

' This invention 1relates:to-boiler cleaners and refers niore'particularly to boiler cleanis. not'limited to use with ofboiler. 'f. l a a.

Among. the objects of'the'invention are to any particular type provides anew and improved boiler cleaner which willeifectively clean all the tubes of the boiler; to sofconstruct and arrange the parts that'a concentrated or solid jet of steam is directed against'arelatively smallarea of the tube sheet, the jet:successively covering all parts of the tube sheet.

Other objects'of the invention are toprovide a constru'ction of soot blower in which the dischargeeanbe made to trace a substan-- tially rectilinear line-and readily adjusted to cover eachsucceeding' line oftubes; to pro.- vide aprotection for the end of the blower; to provide improved means for projecting andretracting the'blower nozzle; and the invention further resides in such otherfeatures of construction .and arrangements' and combinations ofpa'rts a's will more fully here,

showing blowersembodying pliedt'o a locomotive boiler.

:Figure 2 isa"side"elevation thereof;

inafter appear. w "In-the drawings: '5: i f

, fFig.' I is: a top plan iew partly-in section yinventionap- 'vFigure 3is an end View of thefboiler' sheet.

1 Figure '4; is an-enlarged horizontal section through one of theblowernozz'les showing 'theparts in projected'position;

l I Figure 5 is an end View of the blower shown in Figurei'y'j a or r a A. a

I Figure 6- is alview alongtheline6+6-of Figure 43 f Figure is a View along line of Figure 4; i

. Figure 9 is a detail elevation yiew; of the I'Describingsfirst detail the general AssIGrmRTo IAM NED POW-ER SPECIALT? GA wnooRPoRATIoN or MICHIGAN; f

rangernent 6f parts shownin Figure designates a locomotive boiler having the'cab A,, the fire-box B and the boiler tubes C which are mounted at one'end in the tube sheet. For cleaningthesetubes there, are

located at the sides a pairhof soot' blowersD back of the rear tube sheet B with their nozzles K directed toward-thetube sheeti -To protect the nozzle from the heat of the fire inserted through tubes .D extendingthrough. 7 the water legs on'each side ofthe boiler. v Thesen'blowers are locateda suitable distance box, the end of the blower may be E'forined with areilativelyhe'avy portion P which, in

the storedrposition of the nozzle (as shown in Figure "8) {entirely overlies the nozz e.

Each of the, blowers :isv connected u'p-fto a steam. or other cleaning fluid supply by: pipes F and controlled by valves F located inthe cab. Fr denotes the bodyrcasting of 'the blowers, this casting being "con;-

nected with theeleaning fiuidsupply pipes "For se-' F" as shown in Figures' and'8. curingthe body casting F to the outer wall ofthe fire box B, Inlay provide bolts F conveniently extending at theopposite sides of the casting as shown in Figure 5. The operating r'od G for turning the blowers -V termina-tes in a: suit-ablehand whe'elG also located in the cab" A within; convenient reach offlthe engineer and fireman. When the j'steani'is turned on pit-passes through the supply pipe F into the chamber H and here acting on 'Hr forces the same-forward carryingwith it thee plunger tube-I and compressing the the plunger spring 11; until i the thrust: bearing. I? is a brought in "contact with the spacer P, the outer faceof theflthrust bearing bearing againstthe 'liub ofthe segmental gear J. The forward end ofgthejspacer- I bears against the packing housing I which is. rigfrom'jither; nozzle K is aldirectedf against {the tube sheet}, Itllwillibe noticed that m an-- t fi h'is concentratedxthrough a sin'gle idly secured tosleeve I, Theisleeve Pfi's rigidlyicarried by theZblower; housinglas at s-the, 'plungerlHn mov esforward un- .der ,the action gofQthel steam theinoz zle K' 1 ,.-is,forcedinside ofthe innerwallof the water 'legias'shown-inFigureland thejetofsteam nozzle so that the steam is played with great force against a relatively small area of the tube sheet. Upon revolving the wheel G within the limits allowed by the rod J 2 fixed to the housing and extending through the slot J 4 on the --1owerpart of the segmental gear J the plungertubel will-turnthe plunger H and the nozzle K through an arc ofappro mate y 90 degree ove ingthe boiler tubes in direct line with v tl1e 1 19zzle either vertically the full height of the tube sheet or, if desired, the nozzle could be arranged to discharge along a horizontal line. The seg mental gear J is fixecl,; as by a set screw J on the plunger tube 1. Between plunger H and plunger :tube' I is located. a spider H secured totubel by setscrews H which have inivardlyi extending fingers H engageable in the circumferential groove 1H of the rod J so as to prevent ,relative longitudinal movement between rod J and tubeL-buttQ permit relative rotation of these parts. H are other set screws for securingplunger H with -the spider IP the set screws Ii also serving to dock the set screws H Hin place. As shown indfigure"? the cleaning fluid is free to pass spider in-travelling longitudinallyginplunger I-I.

lnop'eration before the steam isturned on the spring Iwill hold the parts in the position shown in'Figure -8, the nozzle being housed within the water leg oftlie "boiler. When ,the s-team' is admited to-the blower through pipe F the nozzle K restricts the flow ofsteam sufficiently so :that the plunger H" willbe projected forwardly carrying with it plunger tube 1 and rodJ so that the segmental gear J will be carried forwardly gearfdriven by the operating. rod' G. The spacer I and' thrust bearing 1 will take up the thrustthrough the sleeve I -The parts are now ready for operation by the rod Gr. The nozzle K is oscillated by movement of the rod Gr to describe substantially vertical lines up and down the flue sheetas hereinbefore described The same operating means acting through a mechanism now to be described causes an angular movement of the nozzle K to cause this to advance in horizontal in- 1 rements across the flue sheet,:this advance taking lace during the clockwise" or righthand movement oft-he segmental gear J i The nozzle is provided-with teeth-L cut to form a gear engaging the small gear L fixed to the end o f'shaft J During the counterclockwise or left-hand movement .of segmental gearJ the shaft J rotates lwith the gearJ {as will be hereinafter described so that the nozzle K rotates'with the plunger tube HQthere-being no angular movement or change indirection of the nozzle K-during this artzof the cycle. WYhen now, the segmental gear J rotated in-theclockwise, or r righthandl direction the shaft J is held E a second spring; pawl- M,

on the plunger-tube I to mesh with the bevel tojengage teeth'in a ratchet wheel lQ, which ratchet wheelis fixedly attach ed'to shaft J. Mountedloosely on the shaft J is the housing M to which housing is fixedly attached 7 also adapted to engage the teeth in ratchet wheel K This housing, M is providedwith a slot through which passes the rod J The set screw N is provided to regulatethe amount of travel of the housingM? with reference to the rod J this amount of travel determining the horizontal advancing increment of the nozzle K.

Looking now at Figures 5 and 6,1if the segmental gear J berotating counter-clockwise, or to the left in-these figures, the ratchet wheelK will :be also rotatedby virtue of engagement therewith of the springpawl M, mountedon projection Mtof the gear J. At theusame time, thespring pawl M attached to housing M exerts sufficientpressure against the teeth of the .ratchet wheel K .to carry 1 forward the housing M .until one end ofthe slot J in said housing contacts with the rod J This movement is .possible by virtue of the .free movementof. the housing M on shaft J" and because of the spring slot J in gear J with'the .rod J 2 as herein.-

before described. It is obvious that shaft 'J rotating with the ratchet wheel K causes the .nozzle K to act in unison with the move- .ment'of the other parts producing no change in the angular position ofathe' nozzle.

WVhe n now, we reverse. the :direction of .rotation of gear J, thespring :pawl M will tend to move the ratchet wheel K in :the same direction by virtue of-the pressure .of thespring pawl M in the teeth of the ratchet. Thus, the ratchet .wheel K moves in a clockwise direction, carrying with 'it' the spring pawl M and :housing M suntil the rod Jz engages the setscrew N. It should he mountedon shaft J. V When this pointhas been (reached the aw-l :M prevents: further --movement of the ratchet wheel K thus holding the shaft J stationary for the balance .of

the clockwise movem'ent ofithe ge arJ; The E0 spring pawlM, carried by the. gear, during this portion of the clockwise cycle, simply clicks over the teeth ofthe ratchet wheel K It is obviousthat if the ratchet'K and the shaft J be held stationarywhile the nozzle K is being moved by-virtue of itsattachment to the plunger tube H that the nozzle will-be moved angularly by virtue of the engage-T ment of the gears and L, causing it to change its angle to the axisof the plunger tube. j i What I claim as my invention is 1. In a boiler cleaner, a fiuid'supply,a discharge nozzle for the fluid, a blower tube for thenozzle, means for normally holding the blower tube and nozzle in-a retracted inoperative position, automatic means for advancing the blower tube and nozzle, means for rocking'the blower tube and nozzle, and-means for automaticallyperiodically relatively moving the blower tube and nozzle.

2. The combination with a locomotive. hava ing a fire box, a water leg adjacent the fire box, and a cab, of a boiler cleaner having a discharge nozzle and. mounted Within the water leg of the boiler and projectable into the the box, means for normally retaining the means automatically acting after movement cleanerwithin thewater leg, means for proecting the cleanerinto the fire box, and commonmeans operable from the cab of the locomotive for-imparting movement in a plurality of directions to the nozzle, sa1d common oftheboiler cleaner in one direction has been completed, to compel said nozzle to then move inanother direction upon continuedactuatlon of sa1d common means.

3. The combination with a boiler flue sheet 7 of a cleaning device therefor, saidv cleaning device being mounted to oscillate about an axis parallel to the plane ofsaid sheet, saidcleaning device being further provided with a v a nozzle for discharging'a-jet of cleaning fluid againsttheb'oiler' flue, sheet, means for rock ingsaid nozzle, and nozzle adjusting means actuated by the means, aforesaid to permit dischargeof the cleaning fluid so as to trace on. said "flue sheet a'series of lines spaced apart a predetermined amount, and means a for varying the space between the said lines. 4. The combination with a boiler flue sheet, of a cleaning device therefor,i said cleaning device being mountedto oscillate about an sponding points in the successive oscillations of the blower.

y at one end and having an inlet opening adjacent to the other' end, a nozzle rotatably mounted in a side of said member adjacent to said closedend and having its axis of dis-" charge disposed at an angleto the axis of said nozzle," means for oscillating said member,

' and means actuated by the operation of said oscillating means for imparting a step by step rotary movement to the nozzle at corree 6. A boiler tube cleanercomprising a longitudinally extending tubular member closed atonev end and having an inlet opening. adj acent to the other .end, anozzle 'rotatably] mounted in aside of said member. adjacent to said closed end and having its axis of discharge disposed atfan angle to the axis of said nozzle, -means for oscillating said member, andmeans actuated bytheoperation of said oscillating means upon movement of the tubular member one direction of its oscillatory movement to impart a step by step rotary movement'to the nozzle,

7. A boiler tube cleaner comprising'a longitudinally' extending. tubular member closed i atone endand having an inlet opening adja- I cent to' the other end, a nozzle rotatably mounted in a side of said member adjacent to said closed end and having its axis of dis charge disposed at'an angle to the axis of said nozzle, a shaft. for rotating said nozzle, means for oscillating said member, and means operable to hold 'said shaft stationary during a.

predetermined portion of the oscillatory.

movementof said tubular member for im parting a rotary movement to the nozzle.

i 8. A boilertu'be cleanercomprising alongitudinally extendingtubular memberclosed atone end andhaving an inlet opening adj a-i cent to the other end, a nozzle rotatably';

mounted-in a side of said member adjacent to said closed ,end and havingits axis of dis- In testimony whereof I aifix mysignature.

axis'parallel to the plane of said flue sheet, said cleaning device being provided with a V spaced lines on the said flue sheet.

5; Aboiler tubec'leaner comprising alon i gitudinally extending. tubular member closed nozzle for discharging cleaning fluid, separate means for retracting and advancing the I nozzle into inoperative, and operative 'pos'i- V tions respectively, and means for imparting suchmovement to the nozzle as to cause thev I jet of cleaning fluid discharged thereby to trace a plurality of substantiallyfstraight FRANK, BOWERS. 

